Team

Nigel Reo-Coker

Nigel Reo-Coker

Midfielder

20

Real Name:
Nigel Reo-Coker

HT:5' 9"WT:170

Age:
31 (05/13/1984)

Birthplace:
London, England

Hometown:
London, England

PROFILE

A hard-nosed box-to-box midfielder, Reo-Coker joined Whitecaps FC on February 21, 2013 after completing a short spell at English Football League Championship side Ipswich Town. He has represented England at the U-21 level and captained English clubs Wimbledon FC, Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

2013: In his first season in MLS, Reo-Coker led the team in starts (31), minutes (2,817), and was tied for the lead in appearances (32) with Camilo Sanvezzo and Young-Pyo Lee. The experienced midfielder also scored one goal while tying for fourth on the team with four assists on the season, with all of his points coming in victories. Reo-Coker made his Whitecaps FC debut on March 9 when he came on at halftime of Vancouver’s season opening match at BC Place, spurring the home side on to a 1-0 victory over Toronto FC. The experienced midfielder recorded his first assist when he set-up Russell Teibert for the opening goal in a 3-1 win over LA Galaxy on May 11. In one of the ‘Caps more exciting matches of the season on June 15, Reo-Coker also tallied an assist on Jordan Harvey’s goal in a 4-3 win over New England Revolution. On August 10, Reo-Coker put in a Budweiser Man of the Match performance, assisting on both goals in a 2-0 victory over San Jose Earthquakes at BC Place. The bullish midfielder scored his first goal for the club on October 9, putting the final touch on a 4-1 road victory over Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders FC. Additionally, Reo-Coker appeared in three of the ‘Caps four Amway Canadian Championship matches, playing the full 90 minutes on each occasion.

ENGLAND

2012: Reo-Coker had a short spell with Ipswich Town in the Championship, making nine starts in 11 appearances. 2011-12: In July 2011, Reo-Coker joined Premier League outfit Bolton Wanderers as a free agent following the end of his contract with Aston Villa. He made his debut on the first day of the new season as Wanderers beat newly promoted QPR 4-0 away from home. Reo-Coker scored his first goal for the Trotters in the 2-1 away win against local rivals Blackburn Rovers. On March 17, 2012, Reo-Coker captained his side in an FA Cup quarterfinal away to Tottenham Hotspurs when, in the 41st minute, team-mate Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch. The match was abandoned and Bolton lost the re-arranged match 3-1. On the final day of the season, Wanderers managed only a draw 2-2 against Stoke City, meaning that they had been relegated by a single point. 2010-11: Reo-Coker made 34 appearances for Aston Villa as the team finished ninth in the Premier League. When club captain Stylian Petrov was ruled out of action for two months with an injury, new manager Gerard Houllier announced that Reo-Coker would be captain in Petrov’s absence. 2009-10: Reo-Coker made only 12 appearances in his third season with Villa. 2008-09: Reo-Coker played a key role in a successful season for Aston Villa as they finished sixth in the Premier League and reached the round of 32 in the UEFA Cup. He made 34 appearances in all competitions and enjoyed a rare double goalscoring week in September 2008 when he scored in consecutive games against Tottenham Hotspur in a 2-1 win, his first Premier League goal for Villa, and PFC Litex Lovech in the first round of the UEFA Cup. 2007-08: On July 5, 2007 Aston Villa paid West Ham United £8.5 million for Reo-Coker’s services. The Croydon native missed only two league games all season for Villa. In a League Cup tie against Wrexham, Reo-Coker scored his first goal for Villa in a 5-0 win. On January 21, 2008 Reo-Coker captained the side in a league game away to Liverpool in the absence of regular captain Gareth Barry. 2006-07: Reo-Coker was a mainstay in the West Ham United lineup in the 2006-07 Premier League season. He played in both legs of their UEFA Cup first round loss against Serie A outfit Palermo and also played 35 matches in the Premier League as the team narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of the season. 2005-06: Following the previous season’s promotion, West Ham United exceeded expectations in the Premier League with Reo-Coker playing a key role as team captain en-route to a ninth-place finish in the league table. Reo-Coker scored five league goals, including a goal on the opening day of the season in a 3-1 win against Blackburn Rovers. The team did particularly well in the FA Cup, reaching the final for the first time in 26 years. Reo-Coker captained the side out against Liverpool at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, in what turned out to be a classic FA Cup final, with a last minute wonder goal from Steven Gerrard equalizing the match at 3-3 and preventing Reo-Coker and West Ham from lifting the cup. Ultimately, Liverpool finally triumphed on penalties. 2004-05: Reo-Coker played a key part of West Ham United’s team that won promotion from the Football League Championship. He made 47 appearances in all competitions as the Hammers finished sixth in the league. A 4-2 victory over Ipswich Town set up the playoff final against Preston North End, which West Ham won 1-0 to seal a return to the Premier League. 2003-04: Reo-Coker signed for West Ham United halfway through the 2003-04 campaign and scored his first goal for the Hammers on March 9, 2004 against his former side Wimbledon FC. After quickly establishing himself as a first team regular for the Hammers, Reo-Coker was made club captain at the ripe age of 19. West Ham nearly earned promotion as they made the playoff final, but lost to Crystal Palace 1-0 at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Before going to West Ham, Reo-Coker started the season as captain of Wimbledon FC as the team suffered turmoil on and off the pitch. In their final season before changing their name to MK Dons and relocating to Milton Keynes, Reo-Coker made 27 appearances in all competitions. 2002-03: Reo-Coker made his debut for Wimbledon FC in the Football League First Division and, despite being only 18-years-old, was named captain of the first team. In his first season in professional football he made 36 appearances and scored 2 goals.

INTERNATIONAL

Reo-Coker was first named to England’s U-21 squad for a 2004 UEFA U-21 Championship qualifying match against Turkey in October, 2003. He went on to make 23 appearances the U-21 squad, scoring one goal. On March 24, 2007 Reo-Coker captained the England U-21 team against their Italian counterparts and in the process becoming the first Englishman to captain a side at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium. Reo-Coker went on to captain England U-21 in the 2007 UEFA U-21 Championship where they reached the semifinals before losing to eventual winners the Netherlands. As a young player, the Londoner was also on England’s U-20 national team in 2005. Although having made an appearance for the senior national team, Reo-Coker was named as a standby for the 2006 World Cup but was replaced by Phil Neville following a back injury.

PERSONAL

Nigel Shola Andre Reo-Coker was born on May 14, 1984 in Thornton Heath, Croydon – a town in the south of London. As a youngster, spent six years living in Sierra Leone as a child with his father Ransford, a doctor. Moved back to London in 1990 to live with his mother Agnes-Lucinda, sisters Natalie and Vanessa, and brother Glenn.